Creating a Host-Named Web Application in SharePoint

Steps to Create a Host-Named Web Application
 

1. Create a Host Name in the DNS

First, you need to create a hostname in the DNS. The hostname will serve as the URL of your site. For this example, the hostname will be "mywebapp.sharepoint.com."

2. Login to Active Directory Server

To create a new host entry in DNS, log in to your Active Directory server.

3. Create DNS Entries

Proceed to the DNS server and create a new A Host record with the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) "mywebapp.sharepoint.com," pointing to the web front-end server.

4. Configure SharePoint Central Administration

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Navigate to Manage Web Applications and select New.
3. In the form for creating a new web application, provide the created hostname in the Host Header field. In this case, it will be "mywebapp.sharepoint.com."
   

5. Add IIS Bindings for SharePoint 2013

If you are using SharePoint 2013, you need to add bindings in IIS for the host-named web application. (Note: This step is not required for SharePoint 2010.)

1. Open IIS on the SharePoint 2013 server.
2. Select your site from the list.
3. Click on Edit Bindings.
4. Select your site binding and click on Edit. Add your hostname as shown in the figure below.
   

6. Finalize the Setup

After setting up the DNS and IIS configurations, reset IIS to apply the changes. Your host-named web application should now be accessible at the custom URL.

For more insights and updates on SharePoint and IT solutions, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.